Been a couple years since he was there, but never hurt to hire people with good technical knowledge attained at McLaren.;)

Absolutely, and it's not like he had other compelling offers on the table. So a test driver role at Ferrari is best of the worst for him, while Ferrari like you say, can extract competitor knowledge from him for relatively cheap.

In any case it could make a lot of sense for Ferrari and De la Rosa. Maybe the recent changes in the engineering department ('Fry&Co') convinced them to make some changes in the way they manage the sim department. An experienced, not too expensive hand devoted 100% to this area could work out well.

According to german f1 sites McLaren didn't want to hire him again because he left twice in the last years, that didn't go down well with some people.

If that's true, maybe this people need to check with the doctor, reserve/test driver get a chance to drive, what should he do?, drive and F1 car in real tracks or stay in woking burning his eyes with the simulator.....

According to german f1 sites McLaren didn't want to hire him again because he left twice in the last years, that didn't go down well with some people.

That sounds like an absurd rumour. A test driver that goes into actual competition and gets actual taste of new regulatons, tires, different machinery is not doing anything wrong. As a test driver by profession this is the best curriculum to have in the limited-null testing of today's F1.

That sounds like an absurd rumour. A test driver that goes into actual competition and gets actual taste of new regulatons, tires, different machinery is not doing anything wrong. As a test driver by profession this is the best curriculum to have in the limited-null testing of today's F1.

Why absurd? He left twice, over night. I don't think it has done any good to their schedules and planning.

Unexpected and a good move from Ferrari, Pedro was clearly rated highly by Mclaren but i doubt, highly doubt, he has knowledge of anything valuable from Mclaren. The drivers just sit in the sim giving feedback on set up changes/new components rather than having knowledge of anything technical regarding the actual simulator.

I suppose we should overlook the fact that he stayed with McLaren till Sauber offered him to drive a car? Or that other people equally involved in the 2007 affair are still working at McLaren? Not to mention that nobody has said that McLaren did not want him.

De la Rosa is very much liked in the paddock, both personally and professionally. Everybody, starting with the top McLaren guys, understood his desire to be a full time driver and not a test one. He has always been loyal to his teams, and his experience is very much valued. I am sure that Whitmarsh would have been very happy to have him back, but that in any case he wishes him well in whichever role he takes.

Unexpected and a good move from Ferrari, Pedro was clearly rated highly by Mclaren but i doubt, highly doubt, he has knowledge of anything valuable from Mclaren. The drivers just sit in the sim giving feedback on set up changes/new components rather than having knowledge of anything technical regarding the actual simulator.

We might be surprised by the information that can be gathered about cars, adjustments, and strategy, from a test and simulation driver with track experience like PDLR. Remember, this is a guy who has sat in nearly every setup discussion, used every adjustment tool, and tested many many different setups, for a number of teams.

His knowledge and experience can tell engineers a great deal about how mechanical and aero systems are working on opponents cars, their design goals, and how their engineers seek speed through setup. And his Pirelli experience is just another bonus.

In other words (my fellow Spaniards will know what I mean), who's going to try to put a bit of sense in the TV commentary? Pedro or Marc?Please, please, let it be Pedro...

It will definitely be De La Rosa... Or why hire him in the first place if he's going to get a desk job.

He is also hired surely at Alonso's recommendation... to basically strengthen Alonso's car requirements & development focus. Alonso's in Ferrari upto 2016... So PDLR will remain too as Ferrari still continues & tries to put the team together that'll give the Championships.

He will be a big help for sure overall with his experience. I don't know anything about your commentary part.

What is next? Jonathan Neale, Paddy Love or even Whitmarsh to Ferrari? Wow McLaren as a Ferrari's favorite market place they lured way to many people from Macca in last couple of years and all that started with Alonso

What is next? Jonathan Neale, Paddy Love or even Whitmarsh to Ferrari? Wow McLaren as a Ferrari's favorite market place they lured way to many people from Macca in last couple of years and all that started with Alonso

If they lured FA from Mac why did he have to spend 2 years at Renault?

What is next? Jonathan Neale, Paddy Love or even Whitmarsh to Ferrari? Wow McLaren as a Ferrari's favorite market place they lured way to many people from Macca in last couple of years and all that started with Alonso

Nah, I think their main plan is to unite Alonso with Ron Dennis. That would be the coup of the decade, wouldn't it?